At this point, I am two and a half years into the project of creating the Sinclair STEM Lab. Over the course of that time, I have been teaching a lot of what might be termed "tool use". That is, students learn how to use technologies like Scratch, Makey Makey, Micro:bit, and Raspberry Pi by completing a series of set tasks. I have also worked on teaching a number of skills like how to follow a design process and how to use reclaimed/repurposed materials to create products. The units that have centered on these and other tools and skills have been sort of, but not very, open-ended. Students have had some creative freedom, but in the end they were all making variations on the same theme, be it a Scratch quiz, cardboard arcade game, or interactive poster. My goal however, has always been to get students to the point where, for each project, they select the tools and techniques best suited to how they want to present their learning, which brings us to the current unit in 5th grade.
This is the most open-ended project I have tried in the lab and I decided to implement it with the 5th grade first because they have the most experience using the widest variety of tools. Also, they will all have gone on to middle school next year so I can adjust the unit plan as needed and roll it out with next year's classes and it will be new to them. I began by asking them to reflect in their journals about their all time favorite school project, not just from the lab, but throughout their school careers, and to say why it is their favorite. After a few minutes I shared about my favorite project from high school microbiology. (We each received a culture of an unknown bacteria and had to use all the skills we had learned to identify our mystery germ. Thank you Mr. Rohn!) Several students then shared their reflections which included projects from every content area and ranged from kindergarten to 5th grade. As to why that particular project was their favorite, every student said that it was because it appealed to a particular interest of theirs and because they were able to make or do something that was personally relevant. 
Following that discussion, I outlined the project. Students would choose an ancient civilization from a provided list to research with a focus on the artifacts of that culture. They would then follow the design process to generate ideas for a work product that they would use to teach an invited 3rd grade class about their chosen topic. I reviewed some of the tools, skills, and technologies that they were familiar with from their time in the lab, but I made it clear that they could create whatever they wanted to so long as it served the purpose of teaching others about their research topic. Students were allowed to work independently or in teams of up to three. As students began gathering information and brainstorming presentation pieces I was bombarded by questions that all began: "Can we make a...?". I expected this as it is very much like to questions I got when the STEM lab was new and students not yet comfortable with the idea that their work product looked different from all of the others. This project represents another step towards the goal of greater creative confidence. This is the first project that I know of them completing where each product could be of an entirely different sort.
Only one of the four 5th grade classes have come through the lab at this point, so it is a small sample, but so far this unit has been a success. First, the projects by and large turned out quite well and when the groups presented their work to the visiting 3rd graders, they were genuinely excited to share what they had learned and made. Second, there is the information from the Google reflection form they completed at the end of the unit. One question asks what they would have me change about the unit and most said "nothing" with several adding that it was "good", "great", or they "really liked it". Another reflection item asked them to rate their performance from 1 to 5, with 5 as the best. I always include this to encourage them to think critically about their work. usually the bulk of each class rates their work as a 3 or 4. For this unit however, 75% of the class rated their work as a 4 or 5. As I said, it is a small sample, but I am now very interested to see if this continues, increased creative freedom leading to increased student satisfaction with their own work.
I am so excited to see what students in the other groups create! Check out the album for this project here. I will continue to add photos throughout the unit.
